city life · Berlin Guide Editorial Team · 7 min ·
Historic Cemeteries in Berlin: Quiet Places Full of History
From Brecht to Liebermann: Berlin's historic cemeteries are green oases, cultural monuments and the resting places of famous figures. A walking guide.
Cemeteries often say more about a city than any museum. In Berlin they are among the quietest and at the same time most historically loaded places anywhere: sprawling park-like grounds with old trees, elaborate grave monuments, and the resting places of writers, painters, composers and politicians. If you want to wander off the main routes, these are green retreats and a piece of city history you can walk through.
Why are Berlin’s cemeteries worth visiting?
Unlike anonymous modern burial fields, Berlin’s historic cemeteries grew over centuries. They mirror the changing city: Prussian display, the flowering of Berlin modernism, the ruptures of the 20th century. Many sit in the middle of the liveliest neighborhoods and slot easily into a walk, for example after a visit to Mitte or Schöneberg. Admission is generally free, and the quiet is a welcome contrast to the noise of the city.
Dorotheenstädtischer Friedhof: the heavyweight of German intellectual history
Laid out in 1762, the Dorotheenstadt Cemetery in Mitte, just behind the Brecht house on ChausseestraĂźe, is perhaps the most famous in the city. Buried here are the playwright Bertolt Brecht and his wife Helene Weigel, the philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel and the novelist Christa Wolf. The plain but dignified headstones make the cemetery a quiet pilgrimage site for anyone interested in culture. From here it is only a few minutes to the Naturkundemuseum (Museum fĂĽr Naturkunde) and the Spree.
Alter St.-Matthäus-Kirchhof in Schöneberg
Opened in 1856, the Alter St.-Matthäus-Kirchhof in Schöneberg is a local favorite. The Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, are buried here, as is the chemist and Nobel laureate Hermann Emil Fischer. Today the churchyard is also a living place: readings, concerts and guided tours take place on the grounds and in the historic Café Finovo. If you are hungry afterward, the surrounding neighborhood has comfortable cafes; our food and drink section has the picks.
Jewish Cemetery WeiĂźensee: the largest of its kind in Europe
The Jewish Cemetery in Weißensee, part of Pankow, holds around 116,000 graves and is the largest surviving Jewish cemetery in Europe. Established in 1880, it is a powerful record of Jewish life in Berlin and came through the Nazi era largely undestroyed. Between old trees stand elaborately designed mausoleums and headstones of significant families, including the publisher Rudolf Mosse. The cemetery is one of the city’s important places of remembrance and complements a visit to Berlin’s other memorial sites in a striking way.
The French Cemetery and the Huguenot legacy
Laid out as early as 1780, the French Cemetery on ChausseestraĂźe commemorates the Huguenots, French Protestants who fled to Berlin in the 17th and 18th centuries and shaped the city lastingly. The novelist Theodor Fontane, whose books still help explain Berlin and Brandenburg, is buried here. Huguenot history combines well with a detour to Gendarmenmarkt, where the French Cathedral marks the same era.
Invalidenfriedhof: Prussian military history
Founded in 1748, the Invalidenfriedhof near today’s main station was for a long time the resting place of Prussian officers, including Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke. During the Cold War the Berlin Wall ran straight across the grounds, which is why many graves were destroyed. Today the partly restored cemetery is a quiet place where military and division history overlap, thematically related to the Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall Memorial).
SĂĽdwestkirchhof Stahnsdorf: a forest cemetery outside the city
A little outside Berlin to the southwest lies the sprawling SĂĽdwestkirchhof Stahnsdorf, a park-like forest cemetery from 1909. Among the pines and rhododendrons rest figures including the painter Lovis Corinth, the film pioneer F. W. Murnau and members of the Siemens family. If you want to spend a whole day outdoors, the trip is worth folding into your own trip planning.
Practical tips for a visit
- Respect the quiet. Cemeteries are places of mourning. Keep your voice down and do not walk on graves.
- Watch the hours. Most cemeteries open during the day and close at dusk. Times vary by season.
- Take a guided tour. Many cemeteries offer guided walks that tell the stories behind the graves. Options are under tours and tickets.
- Solid shoes. The large grounds like WeiĂźensee or Stahnsdorf can only be covered on foot.
Berlin’s historic cemeteries are not gloomy places but green cultural landscapes full of stories. Whether a short stop at Brecht’s grave or a long walk through Stahnsdorf, they show a thoughtful and often overlooked side of the city. More wandering off the usual routes is in our magazine.